The entertainment industry does not exercise complete control over their raw assets delivered through digital distribution channels. Conventional delivery of these raw assets suffers from several limitations, which is perhaps most obvious with conventional distribution of music content. First, conventional digital music delivery over the Internet or other digital distribution channels (e.g., digital radio broadcast, Compact Disc, Audio or Video on Demand services through cable, terrestrial broadcast or via satellite, cellular phone networks, etc.) is limited to delivery of an individual or delivery of multiple individual tracks. This limitation constrains a consumer to single track playback. Second, an individual audio track is separate from other related assets. Third, the format of audio tracks is often proprietary (i.e. non-standard) and only in one format or resolution. These limitations hamper control over their raw assets and the ability of music industry members to innovate with respect to their raw assets. Although described in the context of music content, these same issues plague other digital content spaces (e.g., eBooks, videos, games, image data, etc.).
The conventional delivery model restrains the entertainment industry owners' and creators' ability to innovate. The conventional delivery model relies heavily on an intermediate entity (i.e. content aggregators and distributors, download store front and network operators, content delivery and playback software/device manufacturers etc.). The intermediate entity that delivers content separates the owners and creators of the content from their customers. This separation interferes with the owners' and creators' ability to collect helpful statistical data and interact closer with their end customers. Instead, distributors and software/hardware providers (e.g., Apple iTunes® music service, Real Network Rhapsody® music service, etc.) substantially control the consumer experience of consuming content via the Internet, digital media files, and media streams. Allowing these intermediate entities to possess control over distribution and the consumer interaction hinders progress in product differentiation by members of the entertainment industry. Lastly, the intermediate entities have the best abilities to influence the consumption behavior and experience of consumers since they are the closest to the consumers.